Hawkins' Heroes: Inferno

By Todd McLeod and Eric Meyer

Pfc Eddie Hawkins has two passions in life. First-person shooters and his job as a cupola gunner in a Humvee in Afghanistan. His weapon is a Browning .50 calibre, and Eddie has acquired a reputation for his deadly skills with the heavy machine gun. It wasn’t always that way, but after a shaky start, he has learned how to handle the gun like an expert. There is no looking back.

But Hawkins is about to face his biggest challenge yet. On patrol near the Afghan city of Ghazni, they run into a strong force of Taliban. A logistics Major wo is temporarily in command insists on retreating and leaving the city in enemy hands. The brass are unhappy at this retreat, and send them back to Ghazni in overwhelming force. The city is now bristling with hostile fighters, a place they have nicknamed the ‘Inferno.’ Yet the coming battle will throw them a big surprise. The only question is which bodies will be left on the battlefield after the last bullet is fired.

Hawkins’ Heroes: Inferno is the fourth short novel in the Hawkins’ Heroes series. A collaboration between Todd McCleod and Eric Meyer, the bestselling author of more than fifty war novels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Swordworks Books
• Release date: Aug 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463853337

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INFERNO

By Todd McLeod & Eric Meyer

THE HAWKINS’ HEROES SERIES

Copyright 2018 by Todd McLeod & Eric Meyer

Published by Swordworks Books

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Chapter One

The going had been tough for Eddie Hawkins, and lately he felt down, enough to look for more meaning in his life, and in this war. He wasn’t sure he’d found it when he started reading Sun-sin Yi, a Chinese philosopher, especially a quote that explained a lot about battle.

‘Those who seek death shall live. Those who seek life shall die.’

He talked to his crew about it, and they joshed him, but he didn’t care. The guys he worked with were the best of the best. Men he could rely on, and they relied on him. Eddie was happy with what he did, top gunner on Sergeant Dan Jones’ Humvee.

Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about those words, and what they meant. He forced himself to concentrate, searching the surrounding fields. This day promised to be no different from any other, like every other day, death was never far away. Sitting high in the cupola, he had a clear view across the barren plains and hills of Afghanistan, watching for the unexpected. Watching for movement, for the flutter of a robe, or the glimpse of a greasy turban; the barrel of a rifle, a thin, straight black line where there should be no black lines.

How’re we looking, Eddie?

He replied without taking his eyes away. No sign of any trouble, Sarge.

Sergeant Dan Jones, often known as Sergeant Dan, was the man in command of the Humvee, a tough, leathery vet, working through his second tour. He was tall and had to twist his body to clamber around the interior of their vehicle. His piercing blue eyes that could at times be wintry, and at times mysterious. He just did his job, at which he was damn good. The kind of guy they all felt good about having on their side when the fighting started.